In all of the excitement for the Nintendo 3DS, many gamers are choosing to save their pennies for the new handheld and whatever launch window games they decide they can't live without. While this is a sound decision from a financial standpoint, an unfortunate side effect is that certain DS titles debuting around the 3DS launch are in danger of being left in the dust.

Okamiden is one of those titles. In fact, as the last major DS release before the new system launches, Okamiden is, in essence, the last of a dying breed, and the very last big DS release before 3DS mania hits.

So is it worth buying a game for a system that is about to be last-gen? The short answer is yes. For the last week or so, I've had my hands on Okamiden (look for a full review in the coming weeks). As the sequel to Okami, the critically acclaimed game that started on the PlayStation 2 and was later ported over to the Wii, Okamiden shares in its calligraphic art style, Zelda-like, puzzle-heavy gameplay and narrative emphasis on Japanese folklore and tradition. I'll go into more detail come review-time, but suffice to say, if you liked the first game, you'll be right at home with Okamiden.

The game follows the adventures of Chibi, a cute, little white wolf and son of Okami's hero, Amaterasu. Okamiden rekindles familiar mechanics, such as using a series of brush techniques to defeat enemies and interact with the environment, but the biggest addition to this sequel is the inclusion of a new buddy system. Chibi must work together with a series of partners on his adventure and solve puzzles that can't be tackled alone (such as finding a way across a bridge that is too unstable to support Chibi's weight).

This new gameplay mechanic is actually an integral part of the story itself. In a recent sit-down IGN had with Okamiden Producer Motohide Eshiro, he described the theme of the new game, and the reason behind the buddy system, as being the pure friendships that children forge with each other. This is why the young wolf is tasked with cooperating with several different partners, forming friendships and working together to set things right again. This new gameplay mechanic is meant to be representative of this theme, which is why it holds such importance in the story and game itself.

Eshiro also confirmed that the production team is interested in doing another entry in the Okami series, though they are unsure of which platform it would happen on. Whether this happens solely depends on the reception of this title, which launches March 15.

In addition to another dose of Okami goodness, Okamiden also features an entire level that is modeled after old-school side-scrolling shooters, as well as a host of other mini-game type areas meant to mix up the otherwise standard gameplay. If all of these things sound up your alley, then consider throwing a pre-order to Okamiden, lest it be lost in the 3DS landslide.